imaginative

adjective

i-'ma-jə-nə-tiv How to pronounce imaginative (audio)
Definition of imaginativenext
1
as in inventive
having the skill and imagination to create new things an imaginative child who is always writing short stories about her pet cat

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in innovative
showing a noteworthy use of the imagination and creativity especially in inventing found an imaginative gadget that can grind the beans and heat the water to brew coffee

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of imaginative Hello, Honky Tonk is Kaitlin in her purest form, creating an imaginative world rooted in her own truths. — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2026 Kotelnicki also called an imaginative double-pass in which Marshall threw to backup quarterback Cole Ballard; Ballard lofted it back toward Marshall, who embarked on a deep sideline route. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2026 Chesney doesn’t have to make that imaginative leap into the future. — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026 This was an exciting, imaginative, and beautiful story about grief, family, parallel universes, trees, and mushrooms. — Cooper Katz McKim, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for imaginative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imaginative
  1. inventive
  2. innovative
  3. creative
  4. clever
  5. talented
Adjective
  • The Moon’s square to inventive Uranus favors experimenting when the original approach hits a snag.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Upon its initial release, the album cemented My Chemical Romance's shift from mainstays of the emo scene to mainstream recognition, becoming one of the most inventive bands of the 21st century.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of inventive
Adjective
  • The framework enables full-time employees to spend one day a week exploring unconventional, innovative ideas.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Musk has many critics, but Marian Tupy, a senior fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute, says non-conformists like Musk often lead innovative companies that help drive economic growth.
    — Frank Langfitt, NPR, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of innovative
Adjective
  • The prompts presented the assistant as a character in creative-writing exercises.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Industry support When Corral’s exit from Movistar Plus was announced last year, there was an outpouring of anger, grief and concern from Spain’s creative community that is rarely afforded to a commissioning executive.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of creative
Adjective
  • In a new Nature study, astronomers built clever software for the James Webb Space Telescope that makes this task less challenging, giving the observatory a better chance of spotting planets closer to their stars.
    — Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Its clever design has a few useful features to tackle all the possible challenges.
    — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of clever
Adjective
  • Whoever starts this weekend when the Gators’ host Oklahoma will need everyone around him to play better while facing a talented and experienced Sooners defense.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The Horned Frogs will have one of the Big 12’s top lead guards in Harding, an All-Big 12 forward with Edmonds and a talented group on the perimeter led by Robinson, Toolson and Sykes.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of talented

Browse Nearby Words

imagination
imaginative
imaginativeness
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Cite this Entry

“Imaginative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imaginative. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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